Knowing Our Limits

“What is e- n- o- u- g- h?” my refugee friend asked me. I pantomimed eating a very large meal and then having a very full stomach. He laughed and repeated after me: “That’s enough!”

We spend our lives, it seems, trying to understand this concept. From the time our children are very small we try to help them to recognize it also – enough chocolate, enough play, enough fiddling, enough time awake, and enough toys.

Our culture, though, encourages “more” as the operative attitude. Super-sized drinks and burgers, generous houses regardless of family-size, a second and third vehicle, the newest technology, smart phones that are more efficient than many computers.

Maybe we need to examine how “more is better” impacts the way we care for our Earth and how we see our neighbors.

The 1972 Apollo 17 image of our planet from space – the first time we clearly “saw ourselves” fully illumined and beautiful – has shaped us in profound ways. Before this we had only mental images of our planet. But with photo proof we can no longer doubt the essential unity of our world. From this great distance our “Blue Marble” shows no country demarcations, no highways, grand cities or garbage dumps. What we can see, though, is that what happens in one area is sure to affect the other lands in a great chain of interconnectedness. To continue reading from original site…

Today’s Tip: Get a mug shot!

Coffee has become an indispensable part of the working day, but why not dispense with disposable cups? Life-cycle analysis of the energy and waste from producing. transporting, and disposing of cardboard or polystyrene cups shows the ceramic coffee mug to be far more eco-efficient — even taking into account the water needed to wash it between uses. Over it’s life span, a mug will be used about 3,000 times, resulting in 30 times less solid waste and 60 times less air pollution than using the equivalent number of cups. Most take-out coffee shops will be happy to serve your favorite brew in your favorite mug — after all, it saves their business money.

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About I.Q.

Irene began working with St. Mary's University in August of 2008. She currently serves as the Minister for Faith Formation and Faith Enrichment with University Ministry and as adjunct faculty with the Theology Department. Irene holds a M.A. in Systematic & Philosophical Theology and Ethics & Social Theory. As well as a B.A. in Religious Studies and Philosophy.

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Blessings, The Pastoral Team

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